Power of the Press
by StevenTLawson
Summary: A proper journalist, sticks their nose in where they shouldn't, but a good person tries to make sure the little guy isn't getting screwed over. Rita finds a small boy who really needs some help, can she and a red headed auror help this boy become the man he was meant to be?
1. Chapter 1

Rita Skeeter sat in her chair at the Daily Prophet, she was currently a lowly intern fresh out of Hogwarts, she needed to make a name for herself because right now she was getting nothing but small articles on the back pages next to the ads and maybe a byline somewhere in the middle of the paper. She had to find a story. But there wasn't much, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was dead, about a half a decade or so ago, the Wizengamot was trudging along at its normal slow pace, this left no real political scandals she could dig up. So she rose from her seat, knowing that the older and more set in witches and wizards at the paper wouldn't care if she left early, she had very little to do anyway and being a halfblood indulged herself by heading out into the muggle world, where she didn't have to deal with the chance of running into anyone she knew.

Donning a pair of hip huggers and a high cut shirt, she would blend in with the summer tourists that come from around the world, deciding on a quiet coffee shop with where she could have a light lunch before going home, she sat and people watched. A talent she picked up, due to her nature as an animagus. She usually heard interesting rumors, cheating spouses, struggles with money and the like. Rita couldn't report on the lives of muggles but that did not make it any less entertaining to listen to.

However this day she cringed as she watched a heavily obese man, a rail thin woman and two children walk into the shop. It didn't help that one of the boys was covered in chocolate and looked like a beach ball, but it was the truly offensive odor some of them had. "Yeah, this is why I stay out of the muggle world," Rita thought to herself, as she liked that an odor removing spell, actually removed the stench unlike cologne or perfume which masked at best or worse still mixed and melded into a truly offensive scent.

So Rita was hurriedly finishing her snack and so she could leave when she noticed a detail on the other boy, a faint scar on his forehead hidden behind long, black bangs and a head hung low to hide from the world.

Now it's not unusual for children to have scars, they tend to act and play in ways that leaves them with some injuries, and a kid smacking their head into a branch or on a low table happens so often it's barely worthy of note. But curiosity is a fickle beast and Rita didn't think it would hurt to listen for a little longer, a quick wave of her wand discretely, she was able to mute much of the other sounds she was hearing in the cafe so that it would be easier to pick up the conversation of the family that had just entered.

"Freak, keep your mouth shut and you won't be locked in the cupboard when we get home," Vernon hissed quietly at the boy.

Harry quickly nodded in agreement as he didn't enjoy being locked in the cupboard, so any opportunity to avoid that was usually taken without question.

All he had to do was be quiet and make sure nothing weird happened and then he wouldn't be punished. Harry made sure to stand still and quiet off to the side, when he noticed in his peripherals that someone was looking at him. He had a sense about it and would often times find random strangers giving him looks, many of them adults who seemed to go unnoticed by those around them, some would nod and smile others would look at him as if he was a strange creature. This woman was in the latter category

He could tell it was one of those people because many of them seemed to hold sticks in their hands of various lengths but always in a way that was inconspicuous. He had pointed that out to his Aunt Petunia one day when they were at the grocer, she quickly gathered up himself and Dudley and left everything in the cart in the middle of the aisle in the store and rushed home, not even bothering to stop at the stop signs

He was punished for some reason and told to never talk to or approach one of those people but to always tell herself or Uncle Vernon if he saw them.

This time he wanted to tell his Aunt and Uncle, but that would cause a scene and then he'd get punished again, so he was in between two options, do nothing and see what happens next with the woman and her stick or tell his relatives and they in turn leave quickly, forgetting entirely about what they ordered and likely him being locked in the cupboard. It wasn't a very hard decision as he really hated the cupboard.

So, all the while his relatives were ordering their lunches, Harry kept her in the corner of his eye, in case she did something strange.

Rita, noticed how the boy seemed wary of her, not to strange if he was who she suspected, but she had no proof and she couldn't ruddy just run up and ask if he's Harry Potter, that'd cause a scene. Instead Rita decided to indulge in her curiosity, quickly paying for her lunch she left the cafe and ducked around the corner, before shifting into her beetle form, so as not to be seen, then flying back around she looked through the store front windows to watch the family.

"Strange," she thought to herself. "Why didn't the boy order anything for himself." She watched as the other three ate their lunch, two of them more food than she would eat in a day. "Maybe that's why, I wouldn't have much of an appetite if I had to sit next to those two."

After a far longer time than any other customer stayed, due to the Dursleys ordering too much food. They rose and paid the bill, leaving the cafe and getting into the vehicle

Rita used this opportunity to fly and land on the roof of the car and go on a journey with them, for if nothing came of it, she would just head somewhere deserted and then apparate back home. So at worst she's just spending her day trailing an interesting looking muggle family.

Arriving at Number 4 Privet Drive, the Dursleys and Harry got out of the car and went into the house, the small water beetle flying behind them unnoticed.

"Freak, get to work," Vernon ordered Harry as he took off his coat and hung it by the door. "We'll want dinner in a couple of hours so don't waste time."

"That cannot be the child's name," Rita scoffed, being a beetle, no sound came out as she fluttered about taking in the room. "I didn't have the sanest family but no muggle would name their kid that."

For the next couple of hours Rita freely explored the home, looking at the pictures on the walls and mantle, seeing the fat husband lay on his straining recliner, the fat son upstairs roughly playing with toys until they broke, then just moving onto more toys, the wife, drinking an unhealthily full glass of cheap box wine

While the interesting party was the black hair boy, he was constantly in motion

The floors were swept clean, then scrubbed, on hands and knees no less, to a shine. The walls were dusted, from where they met at the ceiling to the molding on the floor. He didn't miss a spot.

This contributed to explaining the uneasy feeling she was getting from the house. By no means was she a neat freak nor did she grow up with germaphobes for parents, but the efficiency this child cleaned and at such a young age, left the house looking wrong, as if no one lived there.

She watched as he put the cleaning tools away and hurry into the kitchen where he filled a large pot with water and set that to boil on the stove. He rushed around gathering ingredients and prepped them as it seemed like he was going to make a stew large enough to feed a garrison of troops. It was a bit entrancing as she watched him bustle about, chopping vegetables, mixing herbs and spices together. The young boy also had to use a cute little step ladder to reach up high enough to get all the ingredients into the bubbling pot.

Now Rita had expected that the wife would be in the kitchen helping or at least keeping an eye on the boy but she had long abandoned the room and instead gone upstairs to do who knows what. Instead, the child probably no more than eight or nine years old was left unsupervised in the kitchen.

And as one would expect of a young child a mistake happened, when he was holding a large cutting board which held the cubed beef that would go into the pot, his small arms couldn't hold the weight at that angle any longer and he dropped the wooden board. Dropping the cutting board caused it to hit the rim of the pot, toppling it over and spilling boiling water all over his chest, arms and legs. She was startled at the blood curdling scream the boy let out when the hot water splashed over him.

Steam began rising from his body as he stumbled back all the while his cries of agony disturbed Rita greatly. She stopped herself from transforming and apparating the child to St. Mungo's, regardless of his identity or not, but the rushed sounds of the fat man and his wife entering meant she was certain they would quickly whisk him away to the hospital or at least call the paramedics. Rita was horrified when they instead started yelling at the boy about being clumsy and wasting food rather than help him. Rita could actually see the boy's skin blistering from the heated liquid that washed over him.

The smell of the stew the boy had been making was starting to be drowned out from the stench of his flesh peeling from the injury. Rita didn't think this was possible that any parents could have so little regard for a child's safety that they still hadn't done anything to help him, but before she could intervene, the next words out of the woman's mouth pretty much confirmed her suspicions about the boy's identity.

"Well you ruddy little freak, do that thing where you hide the scars," Petunia ordered Harry, who had tears streaming down his cheeks.

"It, it hurts," he whined as he squinted his eyes. But like all the past times he had been injured and miraculously recovered this was no different. The blisters stopped forming on his exposed skin and underneath his clothing and then slowly began to recede as he felt his flesh shift back to how it used to be. "I can't do it," Harry complained as he started to struggle to breathe.

"Well we aren't taking you to the bloody hospital boy, so you better fix yourself," Vernon commanded.

Trying harder Harry was able to get his body back to how it used to be, moments before. "I think I, did it," he started to say before the exhaustion of changing his body took its toll on him and made him slump to the floor.

"Oh bloody great," Vernon rolled his eyes. "Such a drama queen."

Dudley stuck his head around the corner of the wall. "Mum, Dad, does that mean no dinner," he asked completely unconcerned about Harry's wellbeing despite the boy laying on the floor in front of him.

"Of course Diddy-kins, we'll just have to order out," Petunia cooed, stepping over Harry, narrowly missing planting the heel of her shoe down on his throat.

Vernon grunted as he squatted to grasp one of Harry's arms. "Ungrateful, hrrg," he said as he dragged Harry's limp body out of the room. "Wasteful, freak," he muttered as he flung open the door to the cupboard under the stairs and shoved Harry in with not a care about how he was place. "He'll bloody need to clean up the mess he made before he even thinks about getting to eat.

As soon as the room cleared out of people, Rita fluttered down from the shelf she was perched on and shifted back into her human form and just stood mouth agape at what had transpired.

"Bloody hell," she muttered as she peaked around the corner. She saw Petunia pick up the phone and walk into the living room where the other Dursleys were sitting watching the television. Creeping along she made it to the door that Vernon had put Harry into and carefully opened it and saw to her dismay the state that the famous boy was left in. Shoved in the cramped room like a pile of garbage, his body at an odd angle, that she knew would be uncomfortable, but what terrified her was that the small space looked like it was done up as the worlds smallest bedroom, and it was as she saw the scratch marks in the wall that said, "Harry's room".

Rita quickly came to a decision. "I got to get out of here," Rita muttered as she gently readjusted Harry into a more comfortable position, before standing up and shutting the door.

Petunia shrieked when she saw Rita rise from the floor. "Who the bloody hell are you, oh god, you're one of them." she stumbled back. "Vernon, they're in the house."

"What," Vernon exclaimed as he rocked back and forth attempting to gain enough momentum to get his fat arse off the seat. "Who is."

"Them, they found the boy," Petunia shouted as she saw Rita wide-eyed backing up. "They saw the cupboard."

"Dammit," Vernon grunted as he tried harder and harder to get out of his chair.

For a moment Rita wasn't sure what to do but she knew she couldn't stay here or let them remember her being there. Raising her wand she fired the first spell she could think of, the one that her best friend back in Hogwarts said he'd mastered, "Obliviate," she shouted as the white burst of light impacted the distraught wife. When the fat man came around the corner she tagged him with the same spell and then with a snap of her fingers disapparated out of the home.

Unfortunately this would save her identity, but the use of magic triggered a warning letter that would result in Harry being punished for something he had no hand in, and worse still it explained the spell that was used and that worsened the conditions as the Dursleys now would punish him for anytime they forgot something as they figured he must be the reason if he can use magic to make people forget things.

* * *

Rita landed roughly on the floor of the Leaky Cauldron, the first place she could think of when she snapped her fingers.

"Oi, don't be doing none of that, come on now," Tom scolded the new comer. "I don't be popping into your business and scuffing up your floors now do I?"

"S-sorry Tom," Rita sheepishly said as she scrambled off the dusty wood. "Hey I uh need to get to the back room," she quickly said as she rushed past him and down the door that lead to Diagon Alley.

Tom, the type of man who didn't rock a boat he wasn't in didn't do much but nod as the scared blonde exited the building.

Rita made it into the Alley before she ran all the way down cobblestone road before barging into the Daily Prophet, possibly on instinct as any time she had a major story, she would rush back to try and get it added to the next day's paper in the hopes that it wouldn't be pushed to the back or bottom.

Her coworkers stared at her as she hurried down the rows of reporters and she shoved one of the editors out of the way before barging into the owner's office.

"Ms. Skeeter, I am in the middle of a meeting," the owner said in annoyance. "Whatever this is can wait, hey, what are you doing," he stammered as he watched one of his interns drag the client, a now furious Mr. Malfoy out of the room by his collar and slam the door on him.

"I found Harry Potter," Rita quickly said.

The owner stopped before letting out a hearty chuckle. "Ms. Skeeter, do you have any idea how many times I get that same line used. "I found Harry Potter, he's living down the road from me, I had brunch with him last Thursday, he saved me from a rampaging Wampus." None of them have turned up true and none will, the boy probably doesn't even exist. He's like a, a, metaphor."

"No you daft fool, I found him, he's living with muggles," She shouted, not worried about her volume as the owners office was warded to stop any chance of eavesdroppers.

"Posh, no self-respecting wizard of a pureblood family such as his would live with Muggles," the owner scoffed. "If he exists, he's likely with a wealthy and respectable family like the Malfoys, of which you just tossed him out."

"I saw him, he's with muggles and they, they're, Merlin's balls they are killing him," Rita tried to explain. "We have to get the word out to everyone, we need to form a mob or, or get the Aurors. We have to help him," Rita said as she paced in the office.

"Calm down Ms. Skeeter, we will do no such thing and," the owner said standing up and coming from around his desk. "I think it time you clear out your desk, you've clearly come down with a case of B. ."

"What," Rita questioned as she felt her boss start pushing her towards his door.

"B. , the need to make up bullshit to advance your career, so kindly," he said shoving her out of his office. "Get out of my business, you're fired!"

Rita sat down on the steps of the Daily Prophet with a small cardboard box next to her, it held all of her belongings, which weren't much, so few that she didn't even need to expand the inside of the box to hold it all. She had no awards or accolades that she could have lined her desk with and now she didn't even have that. "What do I do," she bemoaned her fate as she watched foot traffic. "He didn't believe me, so why would anyone else," she complained as she looked up at the darkening sky. "Ugh, stupid Potter, stupid abuse, stupid me for trying to do the right thing."

She was shaken out of her thoughts when an Auror stepped in front of her. "Auror Senior Grade Amelia Bones, I've gotten a complaint from the Prophet about you loitering."

"Auror Senior Grade," Rita looked up at the face of the scowling redheaded woman. "Auror, oh thank Merlin, Maeve and Morgana," she shot up from the ground. "You have to help me, please, he needs you," Rita ranted as she grasped the Auror's hand and forcefully aparated the two of them back to the Dursley household.

Landing on the lawn in a heap as Amelia didn't like the sudden abduction. She rolled off the ground and aimed her wand at Rita, "You're in a lot of trouble miss, side-alonging an auror against their will is three years in Azkaban."

"I don't care," Rita scrambled off the ground. "Come quick, come quick," she waved over the other woman. "In here, Harry Potter is in here, he needs help."

"Harry Potter," Amelia scoffed as she followed Rita but not lowering her wand. When Rita began to peer through the windows, Amelia's frustration rose. "Come now, you've obviously had a lot to drink, so let's get you in a cell for the night and I'll forget about you dragging me along.

"Hey," Rita shouted as she pounded on the door to the Dursley home. "I know you're in there, open up."

Amelia barged over and hissed at Rita for causing a disturbance, but before she could stun the woman the door opened and Petunia stared at the two of them before seeing the wand, shrieking once again and fleeing into the house.

"See," Rita pointed. "He lives here," she said as she jiggled the door handle but found it locked. Before she could draw her own wand to open it with a spell Amelia tackled her to the ground, which was a good thing as Vernon had gotten his gun and fired a shot through the front door, the bullet traveling right where Rita had been standing.

"If you're still alive," Vernon shouted. "I've called the bobbies, if you aren't, good riddance, you freaks."

"We are leaving now," Amelia snarled as she dragged Rita away from the home and activated a portkey that would take them to the auror bullpen.

* * *

"So now tell me, exactly why in the bloody blazing fires of hell, did you think doing any of that was a good idea," she asked Rita who had been strapped to an interrogation chair.

"Harry Potter, he's in that house and he's being abused," Rita started to explain. "I saw it with my own eyes."

"No one has seen Harry Potter, not since that Halloween night." Amelia shook her head.

Rita almost frustrated to the point of tears about being dismissed again, took a gamble. "It's true, I was in my animagus form when I found him and followed him home."

"You're an animagus," Amelia questioned.

"Ahuh," Rita answered.

"You know that's another three years in Azkaban for failure to register."

"No one registers," Rita quickly said. "But that's not important. I saw what they did to him, I saw what he did. He's, I think he's got some kind of healing magic or, maybe he's immortal." she guessed as she tried to explain what she saw when Harry forced his body back into how it had been.

"So you mean to tell me, that you found the elusive Harry Potter, followed him to his secret muggle family and also knows a school of magic that takes decades to learn or even more unbelievably is immortal," Amelia quirked an eyebrow.

"Yes," Rita nodded.

"How much have you had to drink, I know losing your job sucks, but," Amelia tried to be nice about it.

"Of all the, I'm not drunk, you red-headed slag," Rita screamed. "I'll take some ruddy veritaserum, just fucking, help him, you dumb bint."

"Rude, but sure," Amelia shrugged as she nodded for the junior grade Auror to get a dose of veritaserum from their supply room. "But when you hear the words come out of your own mouth, you're going away for a while, also, I'm not a slag or a bint, I am a pure maiden," Amelia quickly said knowing it was just the two of them in the room.

When the other auror came back with the potion and turns out that what Rita had been raving about was true, at least from her perspective, that gave Amelia pause enough to go to see her boss. "What do you mean, the Auror's won't waste their time with nonsense leads," Amelia shouted.

"Simple, someone decided to make their child look like Harry Potter, stage some outlandish scenario and have a "journalist"," he air quoted. "See the entire act to drum up some controversy, I wouldn't have put it past Ms. Skeeter, as she was a lowly intern, a story like that would have shot her up the ranks at the Prophet, regardless of its veracity."

"Well don't you think maybe we should check up on this at the very least," Amelia said. "The muggle did fire on us."

"Because two unknown people were trespassing," the Department Head squeezed the bridge of his nose. "Even if it's true, what would you do, you tainted evidence gathering with your approach and it's not like we try muggles in the Wizengamot."

"What about for abusing a wizard," Amelia said angrily.

"We just remove custody of them and wipe their minds. Additionally, if it's actually Harry Potter, then you'd have to deal with Dumbeldore, and that would end everything the moment he wanted it too."

"Good news," Amelia said as she reentered the interrogation room. "You are free to go."

The spell binding Rita to the chair was lifted and the Blonde looked curiously at the red-head.

"And."

"Go, that's the and," Amelia answered.

"But Potter," Rita asked.

"It's probably not him and even if it was, the department isn't going to do anything about it." she sighed as she sat in the opposite chair.

"But, but, even if it's not, that's a wizard being abused," Rita tried to understand what was going on.

"I know, but if it's Harry Potter, the head is worried if people higher up make moves to stop him," Amelia shrugged. "I can almost agree, since it'd be a huge headache of paperwork that would slow down the investigation to a crawl, but I agree with you something should be done about it."

"So what now," Rita asked.

"Well, if we go and investigate, you being a civilian and me being an Auror, you'll go to jail and I'll be out of a job," Amelia admitted.

"So because we have no right to do this, we can't do something right. Wow, I try and be a good person for once in my life and this is what happens. Yay justice," She said sarcastically.

"Well, if we could get a reporter to investigate the situation then the outcome could change." Amelia mused.

"Pfft, fat lot of good that'll do," Rita scoffed. "I basically incendio'd that bridge a few hours ago at the Daily Prophet."

"Well, there are other options," Amelia suggested. Rita went slack-jawed as she understood the implied plan.

"Noooo, you can't mean," Rita looked at the red-head. "Come on, that's, please, anything but that."

Amelia tried not to smile but it was fun to tease a journalist with the idea of working with him.

"Hello, welcome to The Quibbler," Mr. Lovegood said as he opened the door of his strange home slash business.


	2. Chapter 2

When the knocking on the door came, the Dursleys were beyond frustrated, after having to explain to the police that Vernon was only defending his home from trespassers and having to wait for the boy to wake up and clean the huge mess in the kitchen, finally they were able to get some sleep, until that infernal noise came.

"What do you want," Vernon shouted. "Do you have any idea what time it is," his voice carrying over the neighborhood, as the sun barely peaked over the horizon.

"Nope," Xenophilus said happily. "I'm with the Quibbler, and we're doing an expose on Harry Potter, is he free for an interview."

Vernon began to sputter angrily as his face turned violet. "NO!, the damnable child has no time for an interview, you and your freaks have done enough, now get off my property," the obese father said as he slammed the door in Mr. Lovegood's face.

* * *

"Bad news," Xenophilus said as he entered his living room to see Rita sitting with a cup of tea looking like Death warmed over, having just awoken minutes ago. "The nice gentleman said Mr. Potter isn't available for an interview, it's a school day so that makes sense, I'll try again on the weekend," Xenophilus said as he sat down to begin writing the day's edition of his paper.

Rita spit out her tea. "He said Harry Potter was there then," she asked excitedly.

"Not in those words," Xenophilus responded. "He said the damnable child has no time for an interview. That could be any child then," the wacky wizard shrugged.

Rita groaned and planted her head on the table with a loud bang. "Why, why can't this just be easy?" Hoping that the situation would have resolved itself quickly enough that she wouldn't have to spend too much time around Xenophilus.

* * *

At the Dursley residence, Harry didn't know why he was being beaten again, he knew he made a mistake dropping the pot the other day but he cleaned it up. "Boy if you don't keep your freakishness down, you're going to be in even worse trouble, now get ready for school, you don't want Dudley to be late."

Slowly rising off the floor Harry clutched his side as he tried to stitch his ribs back together using that strange power of his. He was hungry and exhausted but he knew that loafing about would just cause him more problems so he begrudgingly got himself ready for school, at least he could pretend to pay attention and hope he gets to eat his entire lunch today.

His walk to school however left him feeling uneasy, as if someone was watching him closely, but he couldn't see anyone there.

"Okay that's clearly a powerful young wizard," Amelia muttered to herself under an invisibility cloak. She had decided to follow the child just to see if there was any thing substantial she could see about the child and every so often he would look right in her direction, showing that he was aware of the presence of someone, even hidden. Which meant he was able to passively project his magic around him, a trait that is taught in the advanced stages of duelist practice to prepare for what spells your opponent might use. But for a child to do so and seemingly constantly showed a wellspring of untapped power and potential.

Dudley noticed that his cousin wasn't paying much attention as they walked so he took the opportunity to slug him in the back of the head, toppling the boy forward. "Haha freak, that's what you get for wasting all that food last night."

Harry slowly picked himself up off the ground as he felt anger welling inside, he was tired, hungry and sore, the last thing he wanted to deal with was his loud cousin and a throbbing pain in his head. Glaring at Dudley, Harry's hair began to whip around as the leaves in the trees rustled as if a sudden breeze had appeared.

Dudley, despite being a fat tub of lard, realized what was going on and booked it away from his cousin since he knew that when Harry started to get really angry strange things happened. And if he stuck around bad things tended to happen to others nearby.

Amelia stood stock still as she watched a very impressive display of accidental magic, it wasn't directed towards anything so it manifested as a dispersal but the amount of magic he was capable of projecting was intimidating especially for someone who as she guessed has never had a day of training in his life.

* * *

As she saw him enter the school, she used that time to disapparate back to the Lovegood home. "If that's not Harry Potter, then by Merlin we're looking at the next Albus Dumbledore," she declared to the others who were seated around the table.

"Who's Harry Potter papa," Luna asked as she squirted an unholy amount of chocolate syrup into her small cup of milk.

"Oh he's a boy that rebounded the killing curse at the last Dark Lord," Xenophilus answered.

"Neat," Luna said as she stirred the thick mixture in the cup before licking the spoon and happily smiling. "I wonder if he's cute," she mused.

"No daughter of mine is dating any boys, not until they've toppled a government," Mr. Lovegood declared.

"Okay, I'll just satisfy myself with girls until then," Luna said as she skipped away, drinking her chocolate concoction.

"If you ask a single question," Rita pointed her finger at Amelia who had several questions.

"Anyway, it's clear he's being at least bullied by his cousin," Amelia said as she sat down in an open chair. "However, we need to get proof, something the masses can't ignore that would force the ministry's hand."

"What if," Xenophilus raised a finger.

"Does it involve any creature that cannot be found in Newt Scamander's, _Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them_?" Rita rolled her eyes having found that asking him about mythical beasts did nothing to stop his insane ideas.

Slowly Xenophilus lowered his hand and rested it on his lap.

"Oh what if we just get them to attack Harry in public, then no one could deny it," Rita suggested.

"Do you really want to subject him to more harm?" Amelia questioned.

"No, I really dont," Rita sighed as she knew that plan would fail because she'd be letting the young wizard get more hurt, which they were trying to prevent.

"What if you just kidnapped him," Luna asked. "Someone's going to come looking for him eventually, right?"

"That would be highly illegal, the minstry would come down harder than," Amelia started to explain why that wouldn't work before she came to a realization. "If they don't believe that Harry Potter is really there, if he went missing, they wouldn't be able to say so without admitting he was there."

"And then they'd have to investigate him and find out all the abuse, since they don't need any permission to potion muggles since they have no rights," Rita cheered. "Yes, they would be forced to confess and then and then."

"What would we do with Harry then?" Amelia slowly said as afterwards how would they go about explaining how they got to Harry in a way that didn't get them also thrown in Azkaban.

"We could use a duck," Xenophilus declared.

"A duck?" Rita questioned.

"You mean a nurse daddy," Luna giggled.

"Yes those things. Always getting mixed up," Xenophilus reasoned. "I just called up an old friend who owes me a favor and ask her to do a check up on a child, they think it's for my little Pumpkin, and we bring her to Harry instead."

"That plan, is," Amelia thought through it. "Not insane."

"Great, best plan of the bad plans, let's do it," Rita clapped her hands happily. "Who's the witch?"

* * *

"THE QUEEN'S PERSONAL DOCTOR!" Amelia roared as she angrily grabbed the front of Xenophilus' strange robes and shook him violently. "That's the nurse who owes you a favor!"

"Yes," Mr. Lovegood answered.

The dignified witch stood and watched the display. "Xenophilus, I was expecting your sweet little daughter to be my patient, why exactly are we waiting outside a muggle suburb?" she inquired as she held her bag.

"I'm sorry Mary," Xenophilus said. "But these ladies here think the boy in that home is being, absurd."

"Abused," Rita groaned as she corrected him. "That's not just any boy, Madame, that's Harry Potter," she pointed to the home behind her.

"Really, that's interesting," Mary's eyebrow arched. "Well, I guess it would be pointless to try and argue, I will go and check." she said as she strode confidently up to the door. Knocking three times, the witch waited patiently on the doorstep.

Petunia opened the door, let out a squeak and slammed it once more. "Well that was certainly rude," Mary hummed cheerfully as she rapped her knuckled on the door again. "Excuse me, my name is Madame. Poppins, I am Physician to the Queen and I have been asked to assess the health of one of her citizens," she loudly declared.

"Go away," Vernon shouted to the door. "I have my gun, and if you do not leave, I will shoot," he declared nervously.

"Well that just won't do at all," Mary said as she tapped a piece of parchment. A few minutes later a half dozen police cars arrived on the scene.

"Hello Madame," the Chief Constable said as he and his men walked up to greet the woman. "What seems to be the issue that we received a missive from the Lord Chamberlain himself?" he inquired.

"Well I have on good authority that a citizen of her majesties kingdom requires aid, and is in this home," she pointed to the building behind her. "Unfortunately, one of the residents has armed themselves and will now allow me entrance."

"Really now," the officer said as he and a dozen of his men stormed up to the door. Slamming his fist angrily on the door and announced himself.

Vernon's response of not so politely telling them to sod off, was taken at face value and after they dragged the fat man onto the lawn and handcuffed him. The Queen's Physician and others could enter the home safely.

"And where is the boy himself?" Mary asked as she saw that the mother was keeping one child close to her chest as the officers stood in each room.

"There," Rita pointed to the cupboard.

Mary blinked rapidly for a moment before rushing towards the small door under the stairs. "There are locks on this," she grunted as she tugged at the metal. "WHY ARE THERE SO MANY LOCKS ON THIS?!" She screamed loudly, her volume startling everyone in the building. "Chief Constable, what you see here is classified, any word of this will see you tried for treason, do I make myself clear," she turned and glared at the man.

"Of course Madame," he cleared his throat. "Men, take the family outside and wait there." The Chief Constable ordered as his men quickly brought Petunia and Dudley outside.

"Alohamora," she said as she jabbed her wand at the lock, causing them to fall to the floor with a clank.

"Blimey," the constable gasped as he saw real magic.

Wrenching open the door, and lighting her wand, Mary gasped in shock at the child who had huddled as far as he could in the crawlspace. Slowly she lowered the wooden stick and looked up at the other magicals who were standing behind her. "That is Harry bloody Potter, that is," she said her calm and refined demeanor vanishing in an instant.

"Do not let him leave," Mary said as she snapped her fingers and disapparated.

"So, that was," The constable asked.

"Yes, magic," Amelia said. "It's a secret, so don't tell anyone."

"Alright then," the constable nodded as he knew that if he didn't know about this until now, it was important to stay secret.

* * *

"Madame Poppins," the Lord Chamberlain gasped as he fell out of his chair when the Queen's Physician suddenly appeared in his chambers. "What is," he started to ask as he watched her sprint out of his room. "Well it must be important than," he said as he pushed away from his desk and followed.

"Betty," Mary called out as she burst into the dining hall, scaring everyone inside half to death. "Betty," Mary said as she ran over to the Queen. "You, have to, need help," she said as she wheezed from running through a castle, something she hadn't done in quite a number of years.

"Mary, what is so urgent that you?" Queen Elizabeth started to ask before Mary grabbed onto her.

"No time, before the Bearded One catches on," she panted as she used a codename for a particular individual.

"Well," Elizabeth said as she stood. "Seems I am needed on urgent business," she said to those in the room. "Mary, if you would, take me where I need to be," she commanded.

As soon as they stepped out of the room, knowing that all guards were to never reveal what they see in the castle, Mary disapparated the Queen right back to the home.

* * *

"Your Majesty, I present, Harry Potter, The-Boy-Who-Lived, and who might have single handedly saved the entire world from a Dark Lord," Mary gestured to the cupboard under the stairs.

Gracefully Queen Elizabeth knelt on the cheap faux wood floors and looked into the cupboard. "Hello Harry," she gently called out. "Do you know who I am?" she asked.

Slowly Harry nodded. "You-you're the Queen, your Majesty," he said as he tried to bow.

"Harry could you please come out, I would very much like to speak to you," she asked as she extended out a hand to him.

Carefully he put his own hand on hers and crawled out of the small, dark space.

"That's better," she smiled. "Now do you know why I am here?" she inquired.

Harry quickly shook his head. "No, you Majesty, I don't, I'm really sorry though," he said as he couldn't bear to look her in the eyes.

"You have done nothing wrong," Elizabeth smiled at the nervous child. "Now how about we all go into the living room and sit down," she offered to the group.

Nodding Harry slowly shuffled with the adults into the room. "What about my Aunt and Uncle and Cousin," he asked.

Elizabeth looked to Mary who nodded. "They will need to answer to what they have done, likely," Mary suggested.

"Very well, Constable, are the other residents able to be present," the Queen asked.

"Yes your highness," the constable nodded. "I will retrieve them now." He quickly stated as he went to instruct his men to bring the three back inside the home. Which surprised everyone who had been outside that the Queen herself was sitting in this home.

"Thank you gentlemen, I do believe that will be all I will have need of you for now," Elizabeth smiled at the officers.

Bowing they quickly filed out and waited on the lawn.

The Dursley's looked at each other nervously before Vernon shouted. "Whatever the boy said is lies, he's a menace, can't be trusted."

"That is enough," Elizabeth barked out. "You will only speak when spoken too, do I make myself clear," she said forcefully.

Slowly the muggles nodded their heads, knowing they were in trouble but unsure how they got in trouble. "Now, would someone like to begin," she looked to the witches and wizards."

"I, your highness," Rita squeaked. "A few days ago, I was in a cafe, I got off work, and just wanted to, that's irrelevant, I'm sorry. I, saw a family of muggles, I mean, them," she pointed to the Dursley's. "So I followed them home, which is illegal, I know, but I didn't get caught, until I did, I mean," Rita stammered.

"Take a breath," Elizabeth instructed. "I am in no rush.

"So-sorry mum," Rita chuckled nervously. "I saw him," she pointed to Harry. "He, they were abusing him, they beat him, they worked him like a slave, if he didn't do something to fix himself, I was worried he would die."

"Harry," Elizabeth looked to the young boy who was trying to look as small as possible. "Do you know what she is talking about. Do they beat you," she asked poiting to the Dursley's

"O-only if I make a mistake," he quietly said.

"What is a mistake," she inquired further.

"If I make a mess, or raise my voice," Harry said quietly.

"Mhm," Elizabeth nodded, knowing there was more to the story than what the young boy was willing to admit. "And that something you did to fix yourself, do you know what she means by that?"

Slowly Harry nodded.

"Can you show me," she asked.

Nodding again Harry got off the sofa and went to the kitchen, returning with a large knife. This alarmed everyone in the room who prepared to act. Harry quickly slashed the blade across his arm, letting out a yelp of pain and dropping to the floor, spilling blood as it gushed from the cut.

"No," everyone shouted in surprise, before Harry looked up at them with tear riddled eyes.

"Se-see, I can, fix it," he grunted as they watched the wound close rapidly before slumping over due to exhaustion and hunger.

"Constable, arrest these three," the Queen ordered as she stood up. "Mary take him to the palace, he will need immediate treatment." Looking to Xenophilus, Rita and Amelia. "I do not know what you were here for, but do what you came to do, and then you will be joining me at the palace. There is going to be a lot of explaining."

"Yes, your highness," everyone in the room declared, except for the Dursley's who squeaked in fear as they knew that the what they were all in was so hot, it was magma.

* * *

**Author's Notes: **Well I decided to take this story off the rails to see what happens.


	3. Chapter 3

Harry's eyes flickered open and he noticed a drastic change in scenery, he was no longer in the small, dark and cramped cupboard, now finding himself in a large and spacious room. Secondly he felt for the first time in a long time clean, sitting up on his elbows, Harry swiveled his gaze around the room. "He-hello?" He called out curiously, hoping there was someone nearby to answer his many questions.

The large door was opened by two guards who had been posted as security, as Her Majesty the Queen and a troop of oddly dressed adults that Harry vaguely remembered walked up to his bedside. "Well Mary, is he properly tended too or will he need more time?" Elizabeth asked the Royal Witch.

"I'd prefer him to have a few weeks on a proper regimen of nutrition and restorative draughts but as it stands, he's as healthy as he could be," Madame Poppins answered the Queen's inquiry. "Which is still astonishing because the Dursleys had been very forthcoming with exactly how they have been raising The-Boy-Who-Lived," she added on as she sat down on the mattress next to Harry.

"Hello," Harry nervously said, not making eye contact with any of the adults in the room.

"Hi Harry, my name is Mary Poppins," she friendly witch introduced herself to the hero child. "This is my friend Betty," she gestured to the Queen, she let out a quiet giggle when the young boy's eyes nearly bulged out of his head, as tended to happen when she referred to the young lady next to her by the name she had called her as a child.

"Harry," Elizabeth said garnering the child's attention. "I have a very important question that I would like to ask you, you do not have to answer it right away, but I would like very much if you would give it some consideration." Pausing to see if the child was able to comprehend what she had just said, after a moment when Harry nodded his head she gave a soft smile and continued. "I would like to know if you would prefer to return to your relatives home?" she had barely gotten the question out before Harry blurted out his response.

"No please, don't send me back," Harry hurriedly crawled over the sheets to bow as low as he could to the Queen. "I don't want to go back to the cupboard." Tears were stinging at his eyes as he pleaded with her majesty to not make him return home.

"I would never put a child, any child, into an abusive household," Elizabeth said to the boy to placate his fears. She didn't need to tell him that both the adult Dursleys were having a very speedy trial in a few days and Harry would never go back there, regardless of if he was tolerant to the idea.

"Do you think you could tell me about that ability you displayed yesterday?" Mary asked, as she had some suspicions as to what it was, but she didn't want to jump to a conclusion and be wrong.

Harry bunched up the sheets in front of him. "I'm not supposed to talk about it, Uncle Vernon says it's freakishness and not what is proper to do." Not wanting to make any of the adults mad at him.

"Harry," Rita chimed in as she couldn't let this child fear or hate his magic, that could have disastrous results. "What your relatives call 'freakishness'," she had an intense disgust to have that word associated with the wonders of magic. "Is nothing more than magic, you are simply just a wizard, a very powerful one at that."

"But, but, Aunt Petunia said I was a freak, like my whore mom and drunk dad who got them killed in a car crash," Harry sadly said as he was learning very conflicting information than what he had beaten into him over the years.

"How dare they!" Amelia hissed when she heard at what the departed Potters had been described as, made worse because it was coming from their son who didn't know. "James and Lily were some of the most honest, hard working and likable witches and wizards I have ever had the joy of working alongside."

Harry flinched back from the anger. "I'm sorry."

"No, no, no," Amelia sighed as she didn't want the boy to think her anger was directed at him. "I'm not mad at you Harry, you didn't know, because they didn't want you to know. It's going to take a long time to explain everything to you but know this, your parents were good people and they loved you," Amelia said to Harry before the Lord Chamberlain burst into the room.

"Madams," he panted. "A man named Albus Dumbledore is in the parlor asking to have a meeting."

"Thank you David," Elizabeth said as she stood up and straightened her dress. "Well ladies, we should go and meet the old codger and let him know what we think of the situation."

"You just wait here Harry," Mary said as she patted Harry on the head. "If you need anything at all, the two gentlemen outside will get you whatever you ask for." Letting him know to go to the guards with concerns while they were occupied with the Hogwarts Headmaster.

* * *

"Ahh," Albus smiled when he saw Her Majesty enter the waiting room. He was curious why a reporter for the Daily Prophet and a Senior Auror were with her, instead of it just being Madam Poppins. "Thank you for meeting me on such short notice."

"Now now Albus," Elizabeth waggled her finger. "I'm not so old that I don't know you never come by unless you need something," not willing to play into his game by giving him any more information than he provided.

"Quite right, I have come to believe that Mr. Potter is currently here in the palace," Albus said as he looked at a wall that was a direct line to the room Harry was residing in.

"He is, what business is that of Hogwart's Headmaster?" Mary said as she pulled out chairs for the Queen, herself and the other witches, but not one for Albus.

"I have come by to assess if he is well and what sequence of events led him to arriving here," Albus smirked as he could see how guarded the women were. "I mean him no harm, but he really must return to his relatives, for his own protection."

"His own protection," Rita hissed as she shot out of her seat. "You think he should-."

"Miss Skeeter please, restrain yourself," Elizabeth interrupted the witch before she could get herself in trouble. "Now Albus, fortunately, Mr. Potter will not be able to return to his relatives as they have been charged by the crown for the various crimes they have committed, least of which is what they have done to the young man, but as you are not prosecuting, overseeing or have any role in the case, I have no reason or requirement to give anymore details to you."

Humming for a moment, Albus nodded slowly as he absorbed the information. "I see, then I only ask that Madame Poppins provide an accurate list of her assessment of young Mr. Potter to me."

"On what grounds," Elizabeth raised her hand, not wanting anyone to move before she gave them leave to do so.

"I act as his magical guardian in loo of his parents and neither of his godparents being capable of providing for him," Albus said.

"I am aware of the demise of the elder Potters, but who and what has transpired that his godparents are unable to take him in?" Elizabeth asked.

"His godmother was, is Alice Longbottom," Albus sadly informed the woman. "Yes, it is a tragedy what happened to them."

"And that is?" Elizabeth asked, not knowing about the health of every citizen of her kingdom.

"They are in St. Mungos, the Lestranges held them under the Cruciatus curse for so long they are in a vegetative state," Madame Poppins answered as she had come to assess them in the hopes that she might have some idea of what could be done to help them recover. "As it stands there is no cure."

"Make sure to send my condolences to the remaining family as I feel dreadful that has happened," Elizabeth commanded as sending a card would be the least she could do for anyone who loved those who suffered.

"And the god_father_?" Rita asked as she didn't know who the Potters chose to act as the godparents for Harry Potter, but Alice Longbottom was a known friend of Lily Evans, so it was not a surprise that the other witch had been selected.

"Sirius Black," Albus said flatly, not feeling as if anymore was needed to be said on the subject.

"No," Amelia gasped as the other witches were just as shocked to hear that name.

"Sadly it is true," Albus nodded. "I believe I don't need to go into detail why I would never send Harry to live with him."

Turning her head to the auror for an explanation. Amelia quickly explained the Queen the necessary context. "Azkaban, he, he's the one who betrayed the Potters to You-Know-Who," Amelia stuttered as it was a horrific circumstance for the magical world so shortly after the fall of Voldemort.

"I see," Elizabeth nodded. "Very well, Mary please give, in great detail, what you believe has transpired to Harry Potter in terms of his health." The implied meaning behind slapping Dumbledore with all the mistreatment Harry had been subjected to over the years by him being kept at the Dursleys.

After nearly fifteen minutes of explaining every break, every bruise, every crack she could find on the boy, Albus Dumbledore looked white as a sheet. "I, I never knew," he lamented how much of a mistake he had made Harry's upbringing to be. "This isn't what I wanted for him."

"Oh, and pray tell what you wanted it to be," Elizabeth glared at the old wizard.

"I, I didn't want another Voldemort," Albus pulled out a chair and sat down. "I made a mistake with him when he was a young boy. I thought that away from everything magical that Harry wouldn't have any preconceived notions about the magical world," He had everything planned out for Harry, a way to make sure he didn't get a large head, didn't consider using his fame to control people. "That he would have a normal childhood."

"Well he didn't, now how are you going to fix it," Amelia folded her arms.

"Nothing, I have already made an unforgivable mistake by making decisions regarding Mr. Potter and letting things play out, it took the intervention of other people to show me how wrong that was," Albus stood up. "So I will not do anything, just do what is best for him and hopefully in a few years, when he comes to Hogwarts, I will be ready to do him justice for the transgressions I have done to him." Apparating out with a crack to return to the castle across the country.

"So now that The Bearded One is not going to attempt to intervene, we need to see about placing Harry Potter with a new family," Queen Elizabeth reasoned as she stood up and started to walk back the way to the room Harry was in.

"Could he not stay at the Palace?" Amelia questioned, wondering why Harry could not just remain with her majesty. It was clearly a large enough home for him, and there were a few other children in the royal family.

"This is no place to raise a child, believe me," Elizabeth shook her head. "Most of my children are bastards in some regard. I believe it to be some type of curse on the palace that ensures that children who are raised here become a special kind of disappointment."

"They aren't that bad Betty," Mary Poppins sighed as she had spent quite some time helping the various princes and princesses throughout the decades, so she always liked to think of them when they were young and innocent, rather than the adults they had become.

"That's because you are sweet on children, you like to believe the best in them, I see a bunch of future brats, thankfully I do not plan to die for quite some time," Elizabeth disagreed with the witches assessment. "And besides yourself madam, there would be no one else here who is magical for him to relate too."

"What about you Amelia," Rita tapped her chin as the group was walking down the long hallways. "Aren't you looking after Edgar and Susanna's daughter?"

"When I'm not working but, the department is getting the budget cut because Fudge doesn't believe we need as much now that the war ended and the current Department head is just," Amelia sighed. "I'm not even doing a good job with Susan, I couldn't see how I could take care of a child like Harry Potter."

"Maybe Selene and Xenophilus could look after him for a few days while we look for any possible relatives who could take care of him, he's bound to have some family on the Potter side that would be willing to take him in," Mary suggested. "They'll not have any trouble with him and little Luna is such a sweetheart."

"We could take him there to see if they would be willing, if not they might know where Harry could go since Selene knows so much about family histories," Amelia nodded as she only vaguely knew what Selene did in the Department of Mysteries.

"Well let's not dawdle, the sooner we know where he can live, the sooner we can help him find a loving household," Elizabeth said to the group as they reentered the room.

* * *

"And this is the home of a dear friend of mine," Mary said as she held Harry's hand after explaining what apparating was to the young child, she volunteered to take Harry while her Majesty would be taken over by Amelia. She froze in fear as she heard the roaring of the massive fire.

"Mary, Mary," Xenophilus coughed and sputtered as he crawled across the lawn towards the group that appeared. "Luna... still," he pointed before he passed out from oxygen deprivation.

"Amelia go get every Auror you can," Mary said once she realized that a simple flame freezing charm wasn't stopping the fire, meaning it had gotten so bad that it burned up the magical items in the home and was no longer a normal fire. "Your Majesty, we need you and Harry to stand back while we try to contain the fire," she said as she started to shepherd the Queen away from the blaze. "Wait, where's Harry?" she looked around before Rita screamed.

"Oh Merlin no," Mary cried out when she saw the small form of Harry run into the burning home.


End file.
